Les Miserables Valentines Day Midway Mention: An Open Letter to Jean Valjean

Hey Blogger Buds,
Happy Valentine's Day! Well, if that's how you roll, at least. Don't forget that your valentine isn't limited to your SO. On the day of love, you can settle down with Blue Bunny, and Ben an Jerry's. Or a sappy romance novel. Or Merlin. Or a book about people killing each other.
Whatever floats your boat.

Anyways, for the occasion, I've got a Midway Mention, Valentine-style!
First, a reminder of what Midway Mention is:

Midway Mention is a feature here at Riv Reads in which I say a few words on the book I'm in middle of reading, and let you know my thoughts when I'm around halfway through. I ask that you please don't use my idea without explicit permission first.

Now that that's out of the way:

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
Abridged version, translated from the French by Charles E. Wilbour

Up to: Page 131 of 321, Marius: The Grandfather and the Grandson: End of the Brigand

An Open Letter to Jean Valjean:

Dear Jean Valjean,
When we first met, I really expected to dislike you. Sure, you're not as long-winded as usual, and you speak fluent English, but you're also ancient, bent on reminiscing your days as a convict and Holy Man.
But when you started speaking, I was captivated. Your story is a tragic one, a noble one, and you are amazingly, dazzlingly (and not like a sparklepire) eloquent.
You started off as a recently freed man, scorned by everyone for your status, and then you turned into a good person, only met with unfortunate circumstances, invoking my pity only pages into your tale. You are wise, and noble, and generous. You're a martyr who completely embodies charity and goodness.
And, most importantly, you're a likable and still flawed protagonist. Your story is one I enjoy hearing, as much as I expected to hate it. It is no wonder that you are responsible for turning many people onto the joys of reading.
I may be less that halfway through your life's story, but I wholeheartedly expect to enjoy the rest.

Yours,
Riv

On Meeting Writing Goals

Hey Blogger Buds,
There are different ways of rewarding yourself for writing. Some people will look at kitten pictures if they've written. (That doesn't exactly work, since I just get distracted and start Googling baby animal pictures.) Other people eat chocolate. And yet others just try not to die.
I use my favorite forms of procrastination as rewards.
Meaning I do the cruelest thing imagineable:

I stop watching Merlin. And Glee.

I KNOW. It's torture. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it on the blog yet or not, but I work on a reward system of TV. For every 75 words I write, I get a minute of TV. So, in order to watch a 45 minute episode of Glee or Merlin (as a bonus, I let myself go back to rewatch all of the Merlin-Arthur scenes without having to write for them) I have to write 3,375 words.

I just completed my first set. It only took me a few days. And now, I have to pick Glee or Merlin. Ah, #firstworldproblems....

PRODUCTIVITY FTW!

In other news: If you missed it, I had a picture I made of Lola Nolan from Lola and the Boy Next Door up on Thursday.
On Tuesday: I have a Valentines Day Midway Mention coming up (hopefully) for Les Miserables.

How do you reward yourself for reaching writing goals?

Peace and kittens,
Riv

When I Play With Doll-Makers: Lola Nolan

(from Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins)
Hey Blogger Buds,
New weekly (hopefully) meme (hopefully) time! I have no idea what to call it, so PLEASE leave me any name suggestions!

"When I Play With Doll-Makers" is a weekly meme here at Riv Reads every Thursday. Doll-making websites, like elouai, are my guilty pleasure, and I figured that while I'm on them, I might as well fan-girl a bit! And while I'm doing that, why not share some of my creations on the blog?
Please don't use this meme without express permission from myself first.
Unless otherwise stated, all dolls are made with elouai.

There you go! A virtual doll every Thursday, special for YOU my blog readers. I ask that you do NOT claim these as your own, or alter them in any way (of course, you can make your own, and if you do I'd love for you to link them in the comments!) that they can pass as your own while still being mine.
Please don't use my pictures without my permission either. If you want to share some of the dolls, you can link here, or you can ask and I'll be happy to let you share them. If I allow the latter, I ask that you do NOT cut off the "elouai" label-thingy.

Now, on to the fun part!

This week's doll is Lola Nolan from Lola and the Boy Next Door.

My review is here.

The Goodreads page is here.

(drumroll please)

*drumroll*

My thought-process as I designed Lola:

Instead of starting with the face, like I usually do, I started with hair. I knew that I wanted Lola to look different, original, I wanted her mostly to stand out. I wanted her features to be very plain, as well.

1)So I began with hair. I found some big stuff, some loud things. The whole time I thought: wig, wig, wig. Big wig. Big wig. Big wig. Man, that's a tongue-twister...

And then I went on to clothes.

2)I found a handful of shirts that were far from normal, and I kept those at the side, to go back to later. That's what I usually do.

3)When I moved on to bottoms, I knew I wanted either (A) A long skirt to go with a "regular" top (B) Normal jeans with an outrageous top or (C) leggings with a long top.

As you can see, I chose the third option. And it matches the wig, too!

4) At this point, I had gotten bored of my faceless Lola and took a break from clothes. I chose understated eyes, nose and mouth, and I think I wanted a "heart-shaped" face.

5) Shoes. I knew I wanted something loud, of course. And then it hit me: red boots. It matches the sweater-thing, goes up to the leggings, and is loud to perfectly off-set the black of the dress. When I realized I wanted red boots, I refused to settle for anything less. And I found something perfect.

I'm overall very happy with how Lola came out. Looking her over, I can't think of anything I wish I had done differently.

So any ideas on what I can officially call this meme? I'm clueless.

And if you've read Lola and the Boy Next Door, what do you think of my depiction of Lola?

Peace and costumes,

Riv

On Sekrit Project

So Blogger Buds,
I haz a Sekrit Project. Yup, it's so cool, it's not secret. It's Sekrit (with a capital S, too!).
I've heard people talk about their secret/sekrit projects, but I could never imagine writing something and not wanting to show it to the world.
And then it hit me. (And this time, I'm not referring to the Frisbee getting bigger and bigger.)
I got the idea that's total cliche, as well as contemporary (and remember, I wasn't known as the Fantasy Fanatic for nothing). It's a funny, romantic, full-out chic-lit which, in a way I can relate to.
I'll share it with you, because I don't care if everyone knows the idea, because you've heard it already, and the Sekrit part is how it's written, not the basic idea.

Take the biggest city you've ever been to, the craziest one. You've got it? Imagine how hectic it is and multiply it by ten. You're getting closer to NYC. And if that city you're thinking of is NYC, multiply by ten anyways. It's grown since last time you looked.
Our male MC comes from New York.
Now take the smallest town you've ever seen, and divide it by ten. Then you'll have the setting. And if the town you're thinking of is this setting, head to a doctor, because this place doesn't exist.
Our female MC lives here.

It's the story of big-city boy coming to small-town--um--town. And he pretty much gives FMC PTSD from meeting a New Yorker, rated the second-rudest city in the US, just behind LA.

And I've said enough ;-)

Good luck with your novels, too! Whether they be agented, unagented, going through ARCs, being edited, being drafted, being planned, or something else!
Or, if it's for you only, be it secret or Sekrit, good luck! And if you're trying to find a Sekrit Novel idea, good luck to you too! I hope the weird little clues stuck in here did some good!

Peace,
Riv

Current Mood: Not feeling well
Current Music: Taylor Swift by Tim McGraw (wait, that's not right...)

Lola and the Boy Next Door Review

Hey Blogger Buds,
I hate opening up blog posts with apologies. It feels like such a negative way to start a post, especially a post about a book you didn't actually like. But...
I'm sorry.
My school has this production thing that's kind of a Big Deal. It involves A Lot of Practice. And one of my house computers broke. And I've been pushing myself to finally finish my first draft, after three years.
All in all, I'm a bad person blogger.
BUT, today I have a review for you.
And on Thursday I have a new meme planned, and I really hope this one works out.
Let's get to the review, shall we?

Add Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins on Goodreads!
Bonus: Even though, as you're about to see, I didn't like the book, I have something extra-special and Lola related coming on Thursday!

Blurby:
Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit -- more sparkly, more fun, more wild -- the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.
When Cricket -- a gifted inventor -- steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Review:
Preface: I'm not someone who went into Lola expecting a bad book. And my expectations weren't through the roof. But I know that Stephanie can write really well, and I expected this book to nearly live up to the standards set with Anna. This isn't a review by someone who hates/loves anything and everything Stephanie Perkins.
Anna and the French Kiss was one of the best contemporary romances I read in 2011. The characters were all real, hysterical, adorable, and the chemistry between Anna and Etienne was amazing. I was scared to touch their names with my fingertips, in case touching both at the same time would electrocute me. Perkins even had one of Anna's cutest lines in this book, as well, as a treat for fans, I guess. :)
Unfortunately, Anna and Etienne were the best part of this sequel.
I wasn't feeling the romance in this one. I didn't even like the love interest. And both boys were really poorly written.
But I'm jumping ahead a bit.
San Francisco. Awesome setting, definitely.
Lola. Cute, spunky, quirky, and original. Great main character, though sometimes annoying.
[Rant ahead.]
Parents. Well, Dads. I have absolutely no problem with Lola being brought up by two gay men. I think it's a pretty interesting twist and, being a Gleek, it's very Berry-esque. And Stephanie Perkins, as Lola of course, keeps on saying that just because they're gay doesn't mean one of them is the "woman." Lola/Stephanie says that they're very equal.
Except: Nathan is the lawyer, who "brings home the bacon" and cracks down on Lola about rules, the "bad cop." Meanwhile, Andy bakes pie, and is always on Lola's side, telling her he'll go talk to Nathan when something happens. He calls Nathan "honey." Although Lola is trying to phrase it not in a negative light, with a really frank view ("and I don't use this expression lightly") she admits that ice-skating is "the gayest thing about him."
You want equality? Make Nathan the one who likes figure-skating. I've met gay men; some are gayer than others. I know someone who looks and acts like a completely normal, decent person (no, I'm NOT saying that gay people aren't "decent") who could be straight.
Perkins took a perfectly nice trope and messed it up royally.
[/End rant]

I really like Max at first. He started out sweet and sensitive. Perkins deliberately changed his character in middle of the book. If how he acted in the beginning is anything to go by, he's a good person. He must have hit his head, or become bipolar or something... And you know me, I always root for the underdog.
Cricket really, really annoyed me at first.  As much as I liked Max I disliked Cricket. And then, like Max, he underwent a completely change into a less-annoying person. And yes, I understand that he was smitten, but he was such a push-over. There was ZERO chemistry.

(And notice how I just used a sentence in all-caps? The book has that too. Sure, it's a writing style, but it comes across as incredibly unprofessional.)

Besides for Max (at first) and Anna-Etienne, the only good part was...
Um...
Wait. Scratch that. Anna-Etienne was the only good part that lasted the entire book. They're just cuteness times infinity.

Rating: 2 stars It was a bad book. I don't recommend it.

Peace,
Riv

If you've read Anna and/or Lola, what did you think of them?

Cover Love: Good Things Come in Threes

Hey Blogger Buds,

Often, I showcase covers that I'm swooning over one at a time, when they come out. But there have been so many amazing ones cropping up lately, and I can't keep up with them. So I've got a nice, pretty post for you. Three covers, one of which got a ton of buzz, one of which didn't, and one of which no one even heard of.
Good things come in threes, right?
Let's get on with it!
(Linkage to Goodreads)

A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger

You guys definitely heard of this one. It's kind of been everywhere. I'm not such a contemp lover, but I might as well give it a shot, and that cover is really captivating.  It's got the shiny sunny friendly beach thing going on...until you see the model's expression. In the words of Marlin: Good feelings gone.
This one's out on June 5th. So it's an...erm...light summer beach read?

Renegade by J. A. Souders

This one's a dystopian/fantasy. Princess/Messiah type of girl lives in an underwater kingdom. Meets a "surface-dweller" and discovers her life is lie. Etc, etc.
Anyways, gorgeous cover. Water, garden, pretty dress, random rose, long, lovely hair that I was kill for.
Swimming to a shelf near you sometime in 2012. I know, I'm helpful.

The Land of Stories

Notice how I left out the author up there? It's cuz I'm a total Gleek, and Chris Colfer is pretty much one of the most amazing people ever. He acts. He sings. He's proud to be gay. (Notice that I didn't put "he's gay" down, because gay/straight doesn't make up who a person is! But that's a rant for another time...)
And he writes.
Yes, Chris is writing this himself. He's not Hilary Duff, with a ghost writer. And he's not Tyra Banks, writing about "Tookie" (or something).
And I know that, like everything else that Chris Colfer does, this book will be amazing.
I'm ridiculously excited for The Land of Stories. I think it's an upper MG, but I don't really care. And isn't that cover amazing? The illustrator is Brandon Dorman, but I'm not sure if he did the cover. Comparing it to some of his other works (like Fablehaven), I think he did.
The cover has a wolf. And a palace. And a toad. That's wearing a suit. And princesses on the sides!
You can show your Chris Colfer love on July 17th. And really. Who wouldn't want to show their Chris Colfer love?


In other news: Totally check out Books Over Boys today. Momo, the supremely awesome blogger over there, is hosting a huge event dedicated to Angelfire! Today's post is all about CADAN. You probably know how much I love me some Cadan. I helped contribute. :) Go take a look!


Peace and Dressed-up Toads,
Riv

Current Music: Things I'll Never Say by Avril Lavigne (actually have my iPod on shuffle, and it reminds me just how remarkable my taste in music is...not to brag or anything ;P)

What do you think of these covers?